Hokage
by Dark Sorceress Hecate
Summary: Two new teachers came to Hogwarts and strange things start to happen. No one knows anything about them, but they seem to know even more than Dumbledore. And why is one of them drinking the other's blood?
1. Familiar Places, New Faces

It's a new story. Yes, I know I should be updating 'Ragnarok,' but what can I say? My muses bit me. I think that it had something to do with 'Paradox of Existence' by DragonLight. Good story, check it out if you don't mind slash. Oh, yes that reminds me.  
  
**WARNING**: will contain slash, although maybe not between HP characters. Do not flame me if you choose to ignore this warning.  
  
**DISCLAIMER**: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Warner Bros, and Scholastic. I had absolutely nothing to do with their creation. Ryo and Seiji are not mine; I merely borrowed the characters and twisted them a bit. Any other characters and/or things from their particular anime belong to whoever dreamed them up. I claim no credit.  
  
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**_Dark Fire and Spirit Shadows  
_**  
When Harry boarded the Hogwarts Express for his fifth year of school, he was more than a little confused. This had been the most uneventful summer that he had ever had. No house-elves, no horrible aunts, no gargantuan tongues. It had been almost normal. Granted, there was still hostility from his relatives, but that had calmed down a lot since the revelation that Harry had an escaped murderer for a godfather. Aunt Petunia had even started to be nice to him. He wasn't sure what to think.  
  
In the background, he could hear Ron and Hermione having another of their squabbles over really insignificant things, and he sighed in contentment. He was going home.  
  
§§§  
  
When they reached the school, Harry's first reaction was to scan the High Table for the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He didn't see anyone new, but there were two empty chairs next to Professor McGonagall.  
  
After the Sorting, Dumbledore stood up to make his usual speech. "As you may have noticed, there is no new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Your new teacher was notified rather late and had a great distance to travel, so it was assumed that he would be a bit late getting here. He will be here by tomorrow morning, I promise. Now, I know how you want your dinner, so I will be brief. In fact, I think that is all that needs to be said. Tuck in!"  
  
Everyone immediately obeyed.  
  
§§§  
  
After the last of the desserts had vanished, Dumbledore again rose to speak. He was interrupted, however, by the Hall doors banging open. Standing in the doorway were two young men, both looking around in puzzlement. One of them consulted a sheet of parchment.  
  
"Yeah, this is it, Ryo. We're here."  
  
That said, both advanced on the High Table. The entire school watched them pass in silence. They looked _dangerous_. Everything from the knives strapped to biceps, forearms, and God-knew-where-else to the way they walked and carried themselves, screamed _don't mess with me_. Upon reaching the High Table, they bowed. Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"Allow me to introduce Professor Dante, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, as well as Professor Sanada, the new Martial Arts Professor!" The two bowed again, this time to the school.  
  
Murmurings had started throughout the school at this announcement. Martial Arts? What was that? Why was it being taught at Hogwarts? Wasn't it some kind of Muggle thing?  
  
Dumbledore waved his hand for quiet. "In the light of recent events, we thought it wise to teach students how to defend themselves if they are ever separated from their wands. We are most fortunate to have these two men as our guests. They are ranked as the best in the world, and I would advise you not to antagonize them. Such actions may have painful, even fatal consequences. Thank you, gentlemen." The two teachers moved to sit at the empty chairs, apparently not noticing that the eyes of every student were following their every move. "Now, Quidditch tryouts are to be held...."  
  
Harry stopped paying attention to whisper with his friends. "Who are they? Do you know anything about them, Hermione?"  
  
"No, my family doesn't follow martial arts, but did you see the way they looked at everything in here? They looked all around the room, exits, hazards, occupants....I wouldn't be surprised if they were trained as soldiers."  
  
They heard a sudden increase in the activity level. Evidently, Dumbledore had just dismissed the school.  
  
"Come on, Ron, we have to lead the first years!"  
  
"Hey—you! All Gryffindor midgets over here!"  
  
_"Ron!"  
_  
As Ron and Hermione began yet another argument, Harry looked back up at the High Table, to find Professor Dante looking at him with a quirked eyebrow. Hastily, he looked away and began making his way out of the Hall.

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Well, like it? hate it? Should I bother continuing? Review, please!


	2. Is This Hell?

Yes, I decided to update. If you're worried about Ragnarok, don't be. It's still my main priority.  
  
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**_Is This Hell?  
_**  
As luck would have it, fifth-year Gryffindors had double DADA first thing Monday morning, with the Slytherins. This was immediately followed by double Martial Arts, again with the Slytherins. Because of this, all of the said students were convinced that whoever made the decisions upstairs hated them. Or maybe the Almighty just had a mischievous streak. Who knows?  
  
At breakfast on the first day of classes, Ron was repeatedly begging whatever god might be listening to 'kill me now.' Hermione was looking exasperated, while Harry was nervous.  
  
"What do you think we'll be doing?" Hermione, apparently, was not immune to nerves, either.  
  
"I really don't have any idea."  
  
§§§  
  
About half an hour later, the students were gathered around the door. The class had started five minutes ago, and there was still no sign of the teacher. Impatient grumbling was just beginning to start when the new professor poked his head out of the classroom.  
  
"Did it ever occur to any of you that the door might be unlocked?" Professor Date looked slightly annoyed.  
  
"Obviously not, Seiji, otherwise your class would already have started."  
  
Date turned back into the classroom. "I know that, Ryo. Have you ever heard of a rhetorical question?"  
  
"Oh, so you were just trying to make them feel stupid, then?" the voice from inside the room was sarcastic and completely unfamiliar.  
  
"Well, if you put it that way—"then he turned around to find the class still standing there. "_Well_? Why are you just standing there like statues? I'm sure you're human, you need teachers after all."  
  
When they did not move, a muscle twitched in his eyebrow. "Should I turn you into stone and make the process final, since you seem determined to become bird perches? MOVE!"  
  
The class hurriedly filed in and took their seats. Only then did they chance looking around. Leaning against the teacher's desk at the head of the classroom stood the other man from the previous night.  
  
Looking at him, Harry could candidly say that if the words 'incredibly beautiful' could be appropriately applied to a boy, they would apply to him. He had a long, thick, midnight-black braid that reached almost to his ankles. His eyes were huge, and a brilliant, intense blue, very slightly tilted. He had long, dark, eyelashes, high cheekbones, full lips, and skin best described as caramel. This, coupled with a small, slim, lithely muscled frame, and a delicate bone structure, made him look almost feminine. This illusion was quickly dispelled by the smirk on his face and the sarcastic gleam in his eyes.  
  
Hearing the teacher's voice, Harry quickly brought himself back to reality. Realizing that he was calling roll, he quickly zoned out again, this time studying the teacher.  
  
Professor Date was another _very_ good-looking man. He was taller than his companion, with pale skin and blond hair that seemed to always fall into one of his lilac-grey eyes. One of the differences between them was that while the black-haired man projected a conflicting image of fragility and ferocity, Professor Date was cool, calm, collected. He seemed as if he would fight to the death for something that he considered his. Harry decided right there that he didn't want either one of them as an enemy.  
  
"—Potter? _Mr. Harry Potter_?" Harry snapped back to reality to find the class snickering quietly at him, the man at the front smirking at him, and Professor Date glaring at him.  
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"Ah, so you _are_ here. I was beginning to wonder if you were a mistake or a practical joke."  
  
It was then that Harry realized that he had gotten off to a bad start. "Sir?"  
  
"When a student doesn't answer me in class after I have called them multiple times, I start to wonder if they are real. If you want to convince me of your reality, I suggest that you PAY ATTENTION from now on. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Well, now that Mr. Potter has graced us with his presence, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Seiji Date. My last name has two syllables, and it does not belong on a calendar. My friend here is Ryo Sanada. We would both very greatly prefer you to call us by our first names. Anyone who still refers to us by our last names a week from now will get a detention.  
  
"That said, I would like to make a few things crystal clear. I have heard about the rivalry between your Houses. I would like to say here and now that you will be learning to at least work together in my class. Any projects given will have inter-House partnerships assigned. If you manage to irritate me enough, you will be sitting in assigned seats, Houses alternating. One day, your lives may depend on someone you do not trust. If that is the case, you will need to learn to work with them. Frankly, I am surprised that your teachers have allowed this petty feud to go on for so long." At this, there were several protests. The professor silenced them with a glare.  
  
"However much you may not like to hear it, it is petty. Petty, childish, and stupid. Now, that aside, I will not tolerate inattention, plagiarism, skipping, copying, or slurs against someone's House, family, intelligence, or parentage. One comment will make me assign seats to you. I am not a nice man; I am not paid to be. I am paid to teach you something important. I do not care how pure-blooded you are, or how much money your father makes, or how famous you are. You will have to prove your worth to me." Suddenly, he grinned. "In fact, that may be the easy part. You'll also have to prove yourself to him—" he jerked his thumb over his shoulder to indicate Ryo "—and that will be twice as hard, I promise you.  
  
"Now, to business. From the notes that I have, I gather that you have only had two years' worth of actual education in this class, your third and fourth years, correct?" At the general murmur of assent, he scowled. "That is unacceptable."  
  
§§§  
  
When the students entered their new classroom, they found that it was not a room at all. In fact, five years ago, it had been dubbed 'The Forbidden Corridor,' and it was home to a large, three-headed dog named Fluffy. Now it appeared that Fluffy had found a new home, for the large space was quite empty, except for the mats cushioning the floor. Professor Ryo stood in the middle, wearing a white gi and looking totally relaxed.  
  
"Come in, come in, you're taking this class, aren't you? You have every right to be here."  
  
When they were all gathered around, he addressed them. "First things first. Bags go against the wall, out of the way, and I want everyone to take off their shoes, socks, and robes. Wands are to be left in your bags."  
  
Instantly, there were very loud protests. He cast the Silencing charm. "Now, while I have your attention, I am going to tell you a little about the facts of life. Even if _you_ don't know what martial arts are, I can almost guarantee that someone in your House does. That someone could have told you all that you need to know, including the fact that this sport requires flexibility and freedom of movement, two things that those _dresses_ do not grant you. They could also have told you that this class will not involve magic. The whole point is to teach you to defend yourselves _without_ magic, just in case you and your wand should ever part ways."  
  
A note of pure steel crept into his voice. "Now, do as I said, and I might lift the silencer. Sound fair?"  
  
Needless to say, everyone did as they were told. When Ryo lifted the silence charm, he shook his head in disgust at the large number of people left standing in their underwear, including Malfoy and Ron. With another flick of his wand, they were clad in workout clothes similar to his.  
  
"I expect you to wear these clothes every class. You might have noticed that your break period before this class is ten minutes longer. This is to allow you to get to the nearest bathroom and change clothes. Take advantage of it. The next person I see in here wearing robes gets 50 points off and two weeks of detention helping Filch. Do I make myself clear?" Everyone nodded.  
  
"Now, before we learn any moves or do any sparring, I'm going to teach you how to stretch. How long we spend on stretching depends entirely on you. If you are lazy and do not practice, we may spend several months on this. If you try hard, we may get through it in two or three weeks. It depends on you. But, I will not move on to anything else until everyone can do these. Understand?"  
  
Apparently, Malfoy could not take any more. "So you're telling me that we can't use magic, we have to wear these stupid clothes every week, we have to practice some stupid stretches, and nobody's learning anything until all of us get them right? That's it, I'm out of here."  
  
Everyone immediately looked at Ryo to see how he would respond. They were surprised. "Congratulations, Mr. Malfoy, you have just volunteered for our demonstration. Would you please go fetch your wand?"  
  
Looking puzzled, Malfoy did so. Now, Ryo faced his audience. "I knew that there would be at least one person per class who would try to question my methods and authority. Therefore, I decided on a way to deal with it."  
  
He faced Malfoy again. "You have been taught how to duel?" At Malfoy's nod, he smiled. "Excellent! That is what we will be doing. You will duel me with magic, and I will fight you with my fists and feet." He held up his wand and carelessly tossed it away.  
  
Malfoy stared. "You can't be serious!"  
  
"Oh, but I am, Mr. Malfoy. Now begin, or I shall make the first move."  
  
Malfoy shrugged. _"Rictusempra!"_  
  
Before he had even completed the curse, Ryo was in motion. Effortlessly, he ducked away and darted in to deliver a very fast kick to Malfoy's torso. Malfoy was lifted into the air and came to rest none too gently several feet away.  
  
Ryo stood easily. "Surely that isn't all you've got?"  
  
Malfoy rose, casting _"Stupefy!"_ almost faster than you could blink. The curse hit Ryo dead on, and Malfoy allowed a smug look to cross his face. A look that promptly disappeared when Ryo kicked him again.  
  
He stumbled upright. "What—How?"  
  
"My family is one of the oldest _shinobi_ clans in Japan. I was learning to handle weapons before I could walk. When I was three, I started to learn to resist magical curses. Nothing less that one of your Unforgivables will affect me. Even to those, I am resistant. I can throw off the Imperius or the Cruciatus in less than two seconds, and it takes three _Avada Kedavra_s to even slow me down. This is another reason that you need to learn wandless self-defense. Anything is possible, particularly when it comes to magic. You just have to believe in the possibility." Ryo's voice was very matter-of-fact.  
  
While Ryo was speaking, Malfoy snuck around him. Then he yelled _"Reducto!"_  
  
Ryo quite calmly ducked, then kicked Malfoy again. "Are you quite done making a fool of yourself? Your guard is so sloppy and your attacks so predictable that my three-year-old cousin Kari could have killed you in less than a minute. In case you hadn't noticed, I used the same kick and targeted the same place, without putting my full strength into the blow. I didn't even bother to disguise my moves."  
  
With the Malfoy situation firmly under control, Ryo once again turned to the class. "Now, there are a few stretches that you should always do before any physical activity, and they involve—"  
  
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So, whatever your opinion is, review and let me know!


	3. Lessons, Sickness, and Blood

Yes, I have updated. This is an experiment. It is slower to get started than my other HP fic, but I promise that it will be worth it in the end. So stick with it, have patience, and **REVIEW**!  
  
On my other fic, Ragnarok Dawn, I recently announced that I would not be updating anymore until I got a certain number of reviews, some of them for this story. So if you like Ragnarok and want to read the next bit, then review! Please, I'm begging you!  
  
Okay, on a slightly more serious note here: this chapter does contain mild **SLASH**! If you find this morally objectionable, then please hit the 'Back' button. I do promise however, that there will not be anything graphic. Please remember that I post clear warnings on my fics and in my profiles. If you flame me, then I will hunt you down, because that would mean that you did not read the warnings, and were merely looking for a reason to complain.  
  
ONWARD!!!!  
  
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**_Lessons, Sickness, and Blood  
_**  
Several months had passed since that agonizing first day.  
  
It became clear that while the new professors were tough and seemed to have impossibly high standards, they were also scrupulously fair. The only reason that they ever singled out a student was if they thought that the student was being lazy or disrespectful. At the beginning, this meant that Malfoy, among others, was picked on many times, but these occurrences grew rarer as the students in question learned that the new teachers meant everything they said, and that they were not to be trifled with.  
  
In DADA, they had begun studying demons, ogres, Sidhe, elves, and many other creatures now popularly considered myths. Professor Seiji never said why he had them studying something that seemed useless, and none of the students quite got up the nerve to ask him.  
  
They had finished with stretches in Martial Arts now, and Professor Ryo had them doing 'line drills.' He had enchanted long, perfectly straight lines on the floor, all the way across the room. The students were expected to advance along these, one step at a time, landing perfectly in the exact stance that he had taught them. They had now gotten far enough that they were doing a punch as they changed stances.  
  
Both of the professors shared an uncanny instinct for when a student was not paying attention, or doing their work sloppily until the teacher was watching. These transgressions were punished accordingly. Seiji had the unfortunate student write a five thousand word essay on why they should not have been dishonest, due at the end of the period. Ryo would make the students do sit-ups, push-ups, or laps around the room, whatever crossed his mind. He did not give you a set goal; he merely had you continue until he judged that you were too tired to do anything besides what he told you. Or until he remembered you. And in both cases, you were still expected to pay attention to the lesson.  
  
Their methods were harsh, but effective. It also didn't hurt that the lessons were interesting and unpredictable. Harry was rapidly settling down into the new routine. Because he was small and fast, he had a slight advantage in MA, but it wasn't very noticeable. It just meant that he got more work, because Ryo saw potential.  
  
However, behind the everyday illusion of routine, things were happening that would one day shatter the equilibrium of the entire school.  
  
§§§  
  
Ryo knelt before the toilet in his room, vomiting up the contents of his stomach. At first glance, you would think that he had eaten something very red for lunch, but a closer look at the liquid revealed it to be blood.  
  
Finally finished, the young man collapsed on the floor, panting for breath. He blinked for a moment before recognizing the cup of water held before him.  
  
"Here." Seiji's voice was gruff with worry. Ryo took the cup wordlessly and began to rinse out his mouth. "Are you sure you're okay? It shouldn't be this bad."  
  
"I've been feeling strange for about a month now." Ryo's voice was quiet.  
  
"A _month_? Why the hell didn't you tell me? We could have stopped it before it got this far!"  
  
"How was I supposed to know what it was? I'm almost a year early! No one in history has ever started this young. That's part of the reason I was chosen, remember? Because they thought that they wouldn't have to worry about the transformation for a while. No one expected it this early. I only realized today."  
  
"But still, you could have told me, at least." Seiji pulled the smaller boy into his arms.  
  
"For all I knew, I was getting a stomach bug. I knew that you'd have a hissy fit, and I didn't want you to worry over nothing."  
  
"Yeah, well, now you know what's wrong. And go ahead. I know you need it."  
  
"Thank you, Seiji."  
  
"No problem. You're my mate; I have to take care of you."  
  
Ryo smiled and nuzzled his face in Seiji's neck. Then fangs sprouted, and he bit the other boy. For several minutes they remained still, Ryo drinking his friend's blood. Then he slowly pulled away, and put a hand over the small wound. In a moment, he pulled it away. There was no trace of the two small puncture marks on the side of the blond boy's neck.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Hey, didn't I tell you not to worry about it? It's not as if you need much, and it's only for a little while. I can deal with it, especially when the alternative is you dying of starvation. It's okay."  
  
Ryo laughed suddenly. When Seiji looked at him, eyebrows raised, the boy explained. "I was just wondering what the students would think if they saw us like this. Me, sitting perfectly content in your arms, on the bathroom floor, and you with a bite wound only a minute ago. It's kind of funny."  
  
Seiji smiled, then kissed the top of Ryo's head. "Well, I guess we'll have to make sure they don't find out, won't we?"  
  
And Ryo smiled.  
  
-----  
  
Well, things are starting to pick up here, aren't they? I promise this is worth it! Review, **PLEASE**! 


	4. A Question of Humanity

Ohayo! I know that a lot of you probably thought that this was dead, but it lives! This is one of my favorite fics, so most of the problem is in deciding what to put in here.

OMG! I GOT REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, now that I've got that out of my system....

**Nicoletta**: Ohmygod. You're one of my favorite authors! I love 'Blood Prince'! Sorry I made you wait so long, I had a lot of stuff going on, and this chapter was coming _really_ slowly. Molasses-in-January-type slowly. And thanks, I always thought that it was kind of silly that JKR had them learning all kinds of ways to defend themselves with magic, but never anything without. What if your wand gets lost, or you're in a situation where you can't use it? What are all those spoiled little purebloods supposed to do then? Thank you for the words of encouragement, and I will try to update more often.

**Raylee Fox**: YAY!!!!!!! My best friend reviewed, my best friend reviewed, yay! And yes, there will be lots of blood, especially in the later chapters, when I don't have to worry about development anymore and can just unleash the carnage. Don't worry. All of the slaughter will have a purpose, and there will still be a plot. But the slash will be very non-graphic.

Okay, that's done, ONWARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

_**A Question of Humanity**_

Severus Snape was worried. Very worried. He was, in fact, near panic, but he wouldn't let anyone know _that_, of course. He had a reputation to keep, after all.

But the undeniable fact remained that several rare potion ingredients were missing from his private stores. The substances and the amounts taken pointed to any number of illegal and highly complex potions, all of which had extremely nasty effects. The only legal potions that they could possibly be used to brew were healing serums.

The disturbing thing about this fact was that the said healing potions were all toxic to humans. The potions were used specifically for non-human creatures going through their equivalent of 'puberty'. They were most commonly used when the creature was hiding in a human civilization and could not afford to be discovered.

He had done extensive research on the subject as soon as he had discovered the thefts. He had learned that veela, werewolves, vampires, fairies, and halfbloods were the breeds that used it most often. A werewolf who was bitten would not need the potion, but his children would. And the 'changes' had to manifest fairly late for the potion to be of any use at all.

Snape sighed. One of the most aggravating things was that everything was so _old_, from the time that non-humans were only beginning to be viewed as inferior and possibly even dangerous. Since then, most inhuman societies had withdrawn from wizarding culture, preferring their own kind, or even muggles. The various myths and legends tangled up in the records did not help, either. Every wizard out of childhood knew that dwarves, elves, demons, and other such fantastical creatures were long extinct, if they had ever existed at all. Snape was amazed that the recipes had even survived, considering that they had long become all but useless.

But that brought him back to the original issue. How on Earth was he going to tell Dumbledore about all this?

§§§

It had quickly become obvious that the Ministry of Magic was not going to let Albus Dumbledore spread his 'horrendous lies' to a large population of innocent schoolchildren. Not without monitoring the lies that he was spreading. The upshot of this was that there were several restrictions placed on the school. The most annoying, and obvious, manifestation of these new rules arrived about a week before Halloween.

Dolores Jane Umbridge, Undersecretary to the Minister and newly-appointed 'Hogwarts High Inquisitor', had apparently been delayed due to a sudden surge of Muggle-baiting, and the paperwork that went with such incidents. As High Inquisitor, she was allowed to take or give points and hand out detentions. Almost all of the school grew to loathe her within the first day of her stay at Hogwarts. She quickly replaced Snape as the Most Hated Person in Hogwarts, and as such became the first candidate for any likely-looking pranks.

Another side of her appeared when she began some of her 'official duties' the next day. One of her responsibilities was apparently to sit in on classes, to make sure that the teachers were covering 'age-appropriate, Ministry-approved material'. In Hagrid's class, she mercilessly grilled students and teacher alike, obviously looking for flaws. When Harry asked Hermione, she had scowled and said that Umbridge had a long history of human-supremacist views, and looked on half-breeds as inferior. This was very much vindicated by what happened a few weeks later.

Harry and his friends had arrived early for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and saw Umbridge in the classroom, talking to Seiji and Ryo. The three of them had obviously been talking for several minutes, and while Umbridge looked eager, Ryo looked irritated, and Seiji was bordering on enraged. The Gryffindors stayed quiet, hoping to hear more about their strange professors.

"So you deny the stories?" Umbridge's little-girl voice was smugly dangerous.

"Madam Umbridge, yes, there are old, pervasive, and well-founded rumors that our families are not entirely human. But I must point out that no one has ever discovered any proof. Over the centuries, several of our ancestors and relatives have _obsessively_ combed the family records, and no one has ever found anything beyond slightly eccentric relatives, who seem to have their places in every family. Yes, our families are strange ones, and our ancestors were _extremely_ good at what they did, but no evidence has ever been found to suggest that they were anything other than extremely skilled warriors." Ryo's voice held the slightly-too-patient tone of someone who had said this many times and was quite bored by the entire situation. Harry found this unfathomable. If someone had accused _him_ of not being entirely human, he would have been much more agitated. But then, they were probably used to it.

Umbridge looked as though she wanted to speak, but before she could do more than open her mouth, Seiji boiled over and began ranting.

"Umbridge-_san_, I really must protest. Are you so fixated on ridding the world of halfbloods that you go chasing down centuries-old rumors? Any inhuman blood that we have would have long since thinned to the point where it could hardly be perceived. Several people, in both of our families, on both sides of the issue, spent decades going through our families' records, written and oral. Yes, there are old legends about demons, veela, vampires, _et cetera_, marrying into the family line and tainting the gene pool, but if any did, they were extraordinarily good at hiding their tracks. No one has ever found any proof either way. And besides, we can't really do anything about something that may or may not have happened several centuries ago." Seiji looked ever-so-slightly indignant. "We came to this country and took these jobs because we were asked to by both our families and Dumbledore-_san_. We did think that we might possibly get away from the silly gossip about our ancestry. Who cares if our several-times-removed grandparents were human or not? We haven't for centuries, and we're really the only ones who matter." Ryo gently touched Seiji's elbow, and the blond man grudgingly subsided.

"And you say _I_ ramble too much when I get angry." Ryo's voice was soft and gently teasing, defusing the situation.

Seiji smiled ruefully. "Sorry." He then looked at the old clock. "If you will excuse us, Madam Umbridge, we have a class to teach." Harry looked around and saw that most of the class was gathered around him, watching their teachers in avid fascination.

Umbridge, seeing that the conversation was now closed, slunk to her stool in the back with ill grace. The students, seeing that the coast was clear, dispersed to their seats. Unsurprisingly, one of the first questions asked in that class was "Is that true? Are you really not human?" The entire class looked eager for a response.

Seiji sighed. "No, as far as anyone knows, we are completely human. There are a lot of rumors to the contrary, but they can't even agree on what we are hypothetically descended from, let alone when whatever-it-was married into the family. No one has ever been able to prove anything either way. Now please open your textbooks to page 593, on Kitsune demons, and silently read the first five pages of the chapter. You have fifteen minutes." The class resignedly opened their books, knowing that they weren't getting any more out of their reclusive professors.

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Review, please/onegai/sil vous plait/por favor?


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